We’ve seen a lot of yews in a lot of churchyards over the years. I’m going to show you some footage of yew trees while I tell you a bit about them. The yew is a species of evergreen tree native to much of Europe, including Britain and Ireland. The word “Yew” derives from an ancient proto-Germanic language, which in Welsh became “ywen”. Yew trees are long-lived to say the least. Trees routinely live past 400 years and there are examples of yew trees as old as 5000 years. That said, yews can be notoriously difficult to date, since the core of the tree can be lost, even as the tree keeps on living. Yews have had a religious significance for thousands of years. For the Celts, they symbolized immortality. Because the early Christians often built their churches over the Read more…